This invention relates generally to cartons and, more particularly, to a system and associated method for digitally scoring carton blanks to be formed into cartons.
The rapid evolution and globalization of trade around the world creates a significant demand for packaging to transfer and distribute goods to different remote areas of the world. The transport of goods may be done by ships, airplanes, trucks, and so on. The transport of goods may be performed by the manufacturer, different suppliers, individual persons and so on. Further, a significant demand for different packaging also takes part in trade. The different packaging may include paperboard cartons which are formed from carton blanks which may have pre-folds and/or embossing, for example, to assist in forming the carton blank into a carton.
Packaging takes a major role in the marketing of goods. The package in which the goods are packed and presented, in a store for example, may determine if or to what degree the goods will be appealing to a potential buyer. Thus the packaging appearance can have a direct effect on the sales of merchandise.
Henceforth, throughout the description, drawings and claims of the present disclosure, the terms package, paperboard box, parcel, box, carton, paperboard box, brochure, flyers, etc. may be used interchangeably. The present disclosure may use the term carton as a representative term for the above group.
One known preliminary requirement to construct a wide range of cartons, is preparing or purchasing a pre-treated paperboard and/or paper based material. Paper based material may be of different types. Exemplary types include paperboard, waxed paper, cartridge paper, art paper, synthetic paper, etc. Henceforth, throughout the description, drawings and claims of the present disclosure, the terms paperboard, card-stock, display board, corrugated fiberboard, paperboards of different paper based material, folding boxboard, carton, blanks, and so on, may be used interchangeably. The present disclosure may use the term paperboard as a representative term for the above group.
The pre-treatment of paperboard may include: creating folding lines along the paperboard to ease and provide accurate folding of the paperboard, piercing the paperboard in different areas, creating embossment in different areas of the paperboard, cutting the raw paperboard into predefined shapes, and so on.
Much attention in the packaging industry currently surrounds digital printing such as the use of computers, digital files and digital print engines, as well as inkjet and electro photographic devices, to position dots of varying sizes and colors onto substrates to create a desired image. And to a lesser, but growing extent, digital die cutting is also gaining momentum. Digital die cutting, in one well known embodiment, makes use of digital files to direct a cutting laser onto a substrate for the purpose of either cutting or perforating the substrate.
While both digital printing and digital die cutting may be well known, the state of the digital carton making art is, however, lacking in that there is no known way to digitally score or crease substrates with fold lines without degrading the integrity of the substrate. Perforating a substrate with a laser may be used to create a score line, but this technique also cuts through and damages the integrity of the substrate in the process.
One technique has been introduced by Highcon which it calls “digital die cutting/scoring.” However, this technique requires the creation of a scoring rule from UV curable materials applied by inkjet. In other words, rather than produce steel die rules and bend them in a conventional manner, this Highcon technique generates new die rules from polymers.
One of the hallmarks of true digital printing is the ability of the print engine to print a different image on every carton, card, or substrate without retooling (i.e. new printing plates, cylinders, etc.) In sum, every image can be different, and there is no added tooling, make ready costs or time delays. The same holds true for digital die cutting. A computer file (i.e., .pdf) can direct a laser to cut each subsequent substrate in a shape that is different from the previous one.
There is no known technique to provide the ability to score a substrate with infinite variability. Prior systems may cut digitally, but scoring commonly requires shut down and make ready operations for each variation in the desired scoring pattern.